Review of Hitchcock (2012) by James W — 08 Nov 2013

SPOILERS AHEAD!

"Hitchcock" is, for the most part, a fun and engaging film that focuses on the relationship between Alfred Hitchcock and his wife Alma Reville while Hitch attempts to make his most intense and violent movie yet: "Psycho." The editing and cinematography good, but what really solidified this film is the casting. Not only does Anthony Hopkins capture the quirkiness and morbidity of Hitch, but the supporting cast gives A+ performances that make you truly believe you are watching the real lives of these people being played out. Helen Mirren does a wonderful job at showing the jealousy and pain Alma must have felt every time Alfred obsessed over one of his leading ladies, his famous "Hitchcock blondes." James D'Arcy is also perfectly cast as Anthony Perkins, nailing every one of Perkins' nervous natural tendencies.

The story is also very well put together. Hitch's desire to shock audiences like never before led him to put everything he and Alma owned on the line: they mortgaged their house, took out nearly $1 million of their own money, and sacrificed all of their spare time for the sake of the film. Not unlike his obsessions with his leading ladies, Hitch's obsession with making the film pushes Alma into the arms of Whitfield Cook (Danny Huston), a fellow writer and friend of Alma's who woos her with the opportunity to work on a new project with him, coupled with some wine and a romantic beach hideaway that no one but he knows about. Upon Hitch's discovery of Alma's outings with Cook, he becomes distressed and falls ill. Fortunately for him, both realize that their love for one another is most important, and they come together and finish "Psycho" with great success.

Overall, the film does a good job conveying many Hitchcockian motifs that Hitchcock enthusiasts will get a kick out of. There is a particularly fun scene that shows Hitch go behind the screen after a projector breaks and the famous Hitchcock shadow can be seen. It is a wonderful homage to "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." Also, the final scene has Hitch telling us that he is without any inspiration for his next film, just as a crow lands on his shoulder - a reference, of course, to "The Birds.".